Traffic on Victoria Road will be controlled by mobile traffic lights during the water main construction.
Heading down Victoria Road anytime soon? You might want to enter from the Mission Hospital end rather than Meadow Road, at least for now.
Otherwise, you may encounter a traffic delay.
The City of Asheville Water Resources Engineering Division recently began work on a major pipe installation project, one that will continue through the length of Victoria Road through mid-August. Crews are installing a new 12-inch water main along Victoria Road. The construction began closest to Meadow Road and it will progress north toward Mission Hospital running all the way to Livingston Street.
Some 90 percent of the pipe runs under Victoria Road, so it will be down to one lane most days. “The majority of the work will occur weekdays between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” said Mark Letterman, City Project Manager.
While it may pose a traffic headache in the coming months the work is needed to add capacity to the A-B Tech, Asheville High and Mission Hospital corridor. Currently, a series of 4- to 6-inch water mains serve the area. “This is to improve the fire protection through the area and to add resources for nearby Mission Hospital, A-B Tech and Asheville High School,” Letterman said.
This is a City capital improvement project costing $674,000.
The good news, besides enhanced water hydrant capacity for fire protection, is that once the project is done, Victoria Road will be repaved.
As the project progresses, there could be some water interruptions, mostly be during a testing phase once water service is being transferred from the existing lines to the new lines. Every effort will be made to give businesses in the corridor a 96-hour notice during interruptions.
For more information, contact Project Manager Mark Letterman at 828-259-5887 or MLetterman@ashevillenc.gov.
